GTA Logo

The action-adventure video game series Grand Theft Auto has a distinctive logo. Its history falls into two periods: before and after 2001.

GTA logo meaning and history

When the first game of the series was introduced in 1997, it came with a wordmark logo including the full name of the game. The words “Grand Theft Auto” were given in three lines. The color palette included shades of orange and yellow with a black outline. The characteristic flame conveyed the idea of speed.

Also, a print version of the Grand Theft Auto logo existed, which featured only black and white.

Old logo GTA (1999–2001)

The 1999 release brought about a new logo, too. It was then that the full name was turned into the short “GTA.” The black letters were placed inside an oval black frame. Below the structure, the full name of the game was given, as the abbreviation didn’t mean anything for quite a few potential customers.

A negative version of the same emblem was also used. Here, the letters “GTA” and the frame were white, while the background was black.

Symbol GTA in 2001-2012

With the release of the Grand Theft Auto III in 2001, a new era started in the history of the logotype. The abbreviation was gone – the name of the game was now given in an absolutely different, creative typeface. Although the text was given in three lines, like in the original version of the logo, the overall impression was completely new.

In the 2008 version, the black outline became thinner, while a second outline, in grey, appeared. The approach gave the image some dimension.

The 2013 emblem GTA

The subtle redesign that took place in 2013 involved only the hardly visible grey outline – it disappeared making the logo clearer, sleeker, and more legible.

Font

The GTA logo is a custom modification of a font known under the name of Pricedown Black by Typodermic Fonts. As soon as the original type was altered, you can’t reproduce the logo using any ready-made typeface.